People and Place: Historical Influences on Legal Culture

People and Place demonstrates the fascinating ways in which personality and locale interact to shape the law, and how location influences legal cultural history. The essays, by a diverse array of scholars - including legal theorists, historians, and criminologists - examine law through the framework of history. They look at the lives of judges and lawyers, rape victims, prostitutes, religious sect leaders, and common criminals to explore how individuals or small groups have been able to make a difference in how law has been understood, applied, and interpreted. The essays allow readers to explore law’s various meanings across communities and time and to develop a more profound awareness of the complexity of human society. Accessible to academics, students, and general readers interested in the formation of law within a social context, this collection offers a compelling perspective on the subtle relationship of people, place, and the law.